2019 BMW M850i Road Test and Review

BMW sure has faithful fans. I recently saw a guy in a T-shirt that read, “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a 2019 BMW M850i, and that’s close enough.” It’ll be quite a bit of money — the all-new M850i is the German luxury brand’s latest, largest, and most expensive two-door coupe or convertible. The base price is $112,895 for the coupe, and $122,395 for the convertible, including a $995 destination charge.

This is the second generation of the BMW 8 Series. The first, a sexy two-door hardtop with pop up headlights, was sold from 1990 to 1999. It was a favorite of Pierce Brosnan during his James Bond years. Think of the new 2019 BMW M850i xDrive as the two-door version of the BMW 7 Series sedan. It competes with the Porsche 911, Mercedes Benz S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet, Bentley Continental GT, and Lexus LC.

Deep in the Six Figures With Options

Our 2019 BMW M850i xDrive coupe test vehicle was equipped with a few pricey options and packages that drove its sticker price up to $119,295. An extra $1,850 added the Cooling and High-Performance Tire Package, which brings softer, stickier tires and improved engine cooling for sustained aggressive driving. Its M Carbon Fiber roof, which shaves weight and lowers its center of gravity, cost $3,000. Man, it looked good.

Inside, it featured the $900 Comfort Seating Package, which adds ventilated front seats and heat for the front armrests and steering wheel. But the coolest option on our test vehicle was the Glass Controls, which cost $650 and added glass to the shifter, iDrive controller, the start/stop button, and the volume knob of the Harman Kardon audio system. An illuminated “8” shows through the glass surface of the gear selector, and it looks amazing. Standard features include 20-inch wheels, wireless phone charging, onboard Wi-Fi, keyless entry, and heated front seats.

Developed on the World’s Racetracks

BMW’s M division is the German automaker's in house hot-rod shop. Its engineers are responsible for the legendary high-performance M3 and M5 models, and recently it's been sprinkling its magic performance dust on a few other BMWs, including the M235i, M760i, and the M550i. These aren’t hardcore M machines like the M3 and M5, but they perform better than BMW’s mainstream models.

The 2019 BMW M850i is M’s latest. More powerful and with better handling than the standard 850i, it was dialed in on the world’s racetracks. Just like the M3 and the M5, its aggressively tuning suspension, massive sport brakes, and its special M Sport differential were developed on Germany’s legendary Nurburgring racetrack. Under the hood is truly one of the greatest engines in the world: BMW’s silky smooth all-aluminum 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with direct injection and variable valve control. It’s essentially the same engine used in the 600-horsepower M5 sedan, only tuned for less power. In the new M850i, the V8 produces 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque.

Fast, Forgiving, and Comfortable

The BMW’s big V8’s torque peaks at just 1,800 rpm, so turbo lag is never a problem and the engine carries its immense surge of power all way to its 6,000 rpm redline. Despite the big coupe’s curb weight of nearly 4500 lbs, it can squirt to 60 mph in the just 3.6 seconds thanks to its massive tires, standard all-wheel drive system, and launch control.

Like the M5, the new M850i gets a quick shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, which can be manually shifted with well-placed paddle shifters. And like the M5, this big coupe can be driven every day in complete comfort and confidence. Its suspension is tuned to be firm, but it’s not overly aggressive. It’s also adjustable, along with the steering and throttle response, with stiffer Sport and Sport Plus settings. You feel the road in the M850i, even in Comfort mode, but the ride is never harsh and the BMW delivers an extremely high level of refinement. Sport and Sport+ mode also increases the rumble of the big V8 inside the coupe’s cabin. Man, it sounds sweet.

No Rear-Wheel Drive Mode

In its M5, BMW lets you to tune the sedan’s all-wheel drive system. There are three settings, including a rear-wheel drive mode, which allows for tire shredding burnouts and powerslides. Unfortunately, there is no selectable rear-wheel drive mode in the M850i. The big coupe is all-wheel drive all the time, and its xDrive system puts its significant horsepower to the ground with no drama. Change its tires, and the M850i can be driven happily through a Chicago winter.

In dry conditions, the M850i grips the road like its tires have been coated with superglue. Mid-corner bumps do little to upset its wonderfully stable chassis, and there’s essentially no body roll, even in tight hairpin turns. When all-wheel drive isn’t needed, all of the engine’s torque is directed to the rear wheels, which gives the M850i a sporty rear-wheel drive feel. However, the system will automatically send some power back to the front wheels if it senses traction issues.

Funky Steering, Decent Fuel Economy

Our only dynamic disappointment with the M850i is its Integral Active Steering system, which adjusts the steering ratio depending on the vehicle’s speed and steers its rear wheels up to 2.5 degrees. It works as advertised, but the system’s response can feel a bit abrupt around town. At faster speeds, either on the highway or when you’re pushing the BMW through a series of quick corners, it feels more natural. To reduce your speed, BMW’s impressive M Sport braking system is standard on the M850i. Recognizable by its massive blue calipers with the M logo and oversized rotors with diagonal cooling air ducts, the system is as much visual art as it is high-performance hardware. The big coupe stops from big speed with no drama.

The M850i’s fuel economy is also good for its class, rated at 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, which is significantly better than the more powerful BMW M5. While using the V8’s start/stop function, which shuts off the engine at idle to save fuel, I averaged 21 mpg driving around Los Angeles.

An Interior for the Ages

Open the BMW’s long heavy door, and you can’t help being impressed with the interior's heady aroma of leather and eye-popping visuals. The shapes are modern, and the abundance of aluminum trim combines with its piano black surfaces for a rich, upscale, and contemporary atmosphere. Fit and finish is as good as cars get. Everything looks and feels expensive, from the knurled knobs to the perforated leather seats.

You sit low in the M850i and grip an M exclusive three-spoke steering wheel, which is both extra thick and heated. The seat is firm, comfortable, and well bolstered. The gauges are also a visual treat. Digital on a massive 12.3-inch screen, the cluster features an oversized speedometer on the left and a large tach on the right with an unusual counterclockwise sweep. Although visibility is compromised by the coupe’s low roofline and thick pillars, it’s a small price to pay for the sexy styling. The latest version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system is easily navigated using either the coupe’s 10.25-inch touchscreen or a large dial and buttons well-placed on the console.

Small Back Seat, Big Trunk

Storage inside the BMW’s interior is generous. The M850i features a large center console bin and considerable door pockets. Unfortunately, its two front cupholders are a bit small, and they’re questionably placed ahead of the shifter so tall drinks can interfere with or block the climate controls. We’ve complained about this issue in BMWs before.

Rear seat space is smaller than we expected considering the coupe’s ample 191.2-inch length and 111.1-inch wheelbase. Humans cannot fit back there comfortably, even though this is officially a four-seater. On the other hand, trunk space is larger than expected. The 2019 BMW M850i offers 14.8 cubic feet of cargo space. A power opening and closing trunk lid is standard.

Handsome Devil

Some cars just look expensive. They have presence, an unexplainable quality that draws people to them. It isn’t beauty, necessarily; it’s a more complex form of attraction. Whatever it is, the 2019 BMW M850i has it. Buckets full of it. Our test car, dressed in Sunset Orange Metallic, drew a crowd everywhere, from gas stations to the parking lot of my local Costco.

Although I’m not a fan of the BMW’s rear spoiler, which looks glued on, the design of the M850i will age well for decades to come. There’s also plenty of attitude in the coupe’s hunkered-down stance, and you can’t help being enticed by its low-slung design, elongated silhouette, and distinctive “double-bubble” roof.

Final Thoughts

Built in Germany, the 2019 BMW M850i is the brand’s best big coupe ever. It’s fast, it's comfortable, and it comes standard with a long list of high-tech safety systems, including surround-view cameras with a 3D view, parking sensors, a forward-collision warning, and active blind-spot monitoring. Safety-related options we recommend include Night Vision with Pedestrian Detection that works with the head-up display and Active Driving Assistant Pro, which will accelerate, stop, and steer the coupe in traffic for you.

Twenty years after the first 8 Series, a car that has become a classic with the brand’s aficionados, BMW has created a worthy successor. If you desire a high-performance luxury coupe, as the man’s T-shirt says, the 2019 BMW M850i will make you happy.